The failure of a particular study to support a theory:
A) Provides the basis for rejecting the theory as useless or insignificant
B) Means that the particular study must have flaws in its design or execution in specifying and collecting the data
C) Threatens the theory, if repeated or more refined studies fail to support it with empirical evidence
D) Means that the hypothesis was too broad, and did not specify the particular circumstances and conditions in enough detail

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The failure of a particular study to support a theory does not necessarily mean that the theory is useless or insignificant or that the hypothesis was too broad. It is possible that the study had flaws in its design or execution or did not account for all relevant variables. However, if repeated or more refined studies fail to support the theory with empirical evidence, then the theory is threatened and may need to be revised or rejected. Therefore, (C) is the best choice.

The Failure of a Particular Study to Support a Theory